Government programme

Flood Management Information System and flood early warning (Water Resources Department)

The Water Resources Department's flood information and forecasting system, run by the Flood Management Improvement Support Centre (FMISC) in Patna since 2006. It issues daily flood bulletins from mid-June to mid-October, publishes satellite-derived inundation maps and river data, and, according to the minister, gives district officials flood warnings up to 72 hours ahead.

Digital infrastructureOperational

Good to know: FMISC publishes daily flood bulletins, inundation maps and real-time river data during the monsoon. The forecast lead time and accuracy figures are the minister's statements; no independent evaluation of forecast performance for 2021-2025 has been found.

Reported figures (3)

Each figure is marked as an official statistic, a government claim or a target

Measure

Figure

As of

Type

Source

Claimed rainfall and river-level forecast correctness

Water resources minister Sanjay Kumar Jha. No evaluation is cited.

90 percent

2 Jun 2022

Government claim

The Times of India

Flood-prone districts using the department's new flood technologies

Of 38 districts.

28 districts

2 Jun 2022

Government claim

The Times of India

Claimed flood warning lead time

The same 72-hour lead time was claimed in August 2020.

72 hours

25 Jun 2023

Government claim

The Hindu

How it unfolded (5)

Each step as a dated source records it, oldest first

Aug 2006Programme initiated
Phase I of the Flood Management Information System began, with World Bank technical assistance, for flood-prone north Bihar.
NITI Aayog, Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office: case study, Flood Management Information System (FMIS), Bihar
May 2010Programme initiated
FMIS Phase II began, extending the system to all of north Bihar; it was later extended to November 2014.
NITI Aayog, Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office: case study, Flood Management Information System (FMIS), Bihar
Aug 2020Operational
The water resources minister said the department had started using an early warning system and mathematical modelling that year, alerting district magistrates in north Bihar to heavy rain 72 hours ahead.
The Indian Express
Jun 2022Operational
At a state disaster management workshop the minister said new flood technologies were in use in 28 of 38 districts and the mathematical modelling centre had forecast rainfall and river levels with 90% correctness.
The Times of India
Jun 2023Operational
Ahead of the monsoon the minister said the early warning system would issue flood warnings 72 hours in advance and a new 'Befikr' app would give real-time flood information.
The Hindu

What's confirmed

3 sourced facts

FMISC was created in the Water Resources Department to develop and run the Flood Management Information System with World Bank technical assistance; Phase I began in August 2006 (project cost Rs 10.86 crore) and Phase II in May 2010.
FMISC issues a daily flood information bulletin during the monsoon, generally 15 June to 15 October, and publishes inundation maps derived from NRSC RADARSAT imagery, barrage status reports and real-time river data.
The water resources minister said in August 2020, June 2022 and June 2023 that the department used an early warning system and mathematical modelling for flood forecasting, with warnings up to 72 hours ahead.

Still to be confirmed

4 open questions

Forecast performance. The 90% correctness and 72-hour lead time are the minister's statements; no published verification has been found.
Whether the system uses AI. The Indian Express (August 2020) reported that the state had started using artificial intelligence alongside the early warning and mathematical modelling systems, but neither that article nor any later source describes an AI model or names one, and the minister's own quoted words mention only the early warning system.
Whether the 'Befikr' flood app announced in June 2023 was launched, and its use.
The lives-saved effect. The minister's comparison of 25 flood deaths in 2020 with 130 a year earlier is not attributed to forecasting by any evaluation.

Sources (5)

Who reported it, when, and what they cover

Publisher	Published	Covers	Link
NITI Aayog, Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office: case study, Flood Management Information System (FMIS), Bihar Official government	18 Oct 2026	• Undated page, accessed 18 Oct 2026 (filed under a 2021-08 upload folder; footer 'Copyright 2020 NITI Aayog') • FMISC created under the Chief Engineer, Planning and Monitoring, WRD, with World Bank technical assistance • FMIS Phase I initiated August 2006; Phase II started May 2010, extended to 30 November 2014 • Project cost Rs 10.86 crore, World Bank funded	Open source (opens in a new tab)
The Indian Express Established news	15 Aug 2020	• Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha: technology used 'from this year'; DMs of north Bihar alerted to heavy rain 72 hours in advance • Article states the government started using AI, an early warning system and mathematical modelling; no AI system is described	Open source (opens in a new tab)
The Times of India Established news	2 Jun 2022	• New flood technologies in 28 of 38 flood-prone districts (minister, 'on Wednesday', BSDMA national workshop) • Early warning system, mathematical modelling centre and physical modelling centre • 90% correctness claimed for rainfall and river-level forecasts	Open source (opens in a new tab)
The Hindu Established news	25 Jun 2023	• Early warning system to issue warnings 72 hours in advance (minister) • New 'Befikr' app to provide real-time flood information	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Flood Management Improvement Support Centre, Water Resources Department, Bihar Official government	18 Oct 2026	• Undated page, accessed 18 Oct 2026 • Daily Flood Information Bulletin during the monsoon, generally 15 June to 15 October • Inundation maps from NRSC RADARSAT imagery; barrage status reports; RTDAS real-time data	Open source (opens in a new tab)

Record ID: BIHAR-GOV-026Dataset last checked 18 Oct 2026Spotted an error? Report a correctionHow corrections work